Chapter 7

When Rin opened his eyes again, he saw a city like none other. They were standing on a hill, a gold gate before them, ornaments detailed and beautiful. It was a piece of art, with tiny little flowers engraved in the metal. But what laid beyond was what took his breath away.

Rin never gave too much thought how could Heaven look like, but if he ever imagined anything, it was more like a fluffy place, full of clouds and… well, clouds. What he saw was completely different. If he needed only one word to describe it, it would be gold. It was everywhere.

Heaven was a city, with tall buildings and neat streets. Every roof was golden, shining in the sun. From up there, he could see a whole place, full of houses, shops and tall skyscrapers. The angels were scattered about, looking just like people did while having a busy day. Everyone had something to do, but they weren't rushed. He could feel calmness and happiness radiating in the air. The city was magnificent, a lot of green places, fountains and beautiful statues. Flowers were everywhere and he noticed they were the ones he saw on the gate. He followed Gabriel down the hill in awe.

He couldn't get enough, wherever he looked he spotted something beautiful. His new sight helped him notice every detail. They finally reached the city. The streets were clean, no mud or trash or anything ugly for that matter. The buildings where taken care of, the flowers bloomed and the trees looked healthy. Gold was a constant here – some doors or windows had golden handles or sometimes he noticed a statue made only from it. Usually it was a sculpture of a beautiful angel, covered in flowers and smiling or sometimes it was a bird – Rin thought it looked a lot like a phoenix just about to took off and fly.

Angels were moving back in respect and bowing deeply in front of Gabriel, which puzzled Rin a little. He knew he wasn't someone with good manners – what if he was supposed to treat the archangel like they did? He sure didn't want to offend him and make a fool out of himself – again. Maybe he should simply ask him? He eyed the angel with deep thought. Gabriel looked over his shoulder when he felt him staring.

"Is something bothering you?"

Rin shook his head but after getting a reprimanding glare, he sighed. There was no fooling this angel, he somehow knew what Rin was thinking. He discreetly looked around and when he made sure they where out of hear range, he asked.

"Uh… The angels are acting like you are… uh, a royalty or something… and I wondered if I… uh…" He blushed, not being able to express himself before that focused stare. He ruffled his hair in embarrassment but continued. "I wondered if I should act formal around you or something… I'm kind of an idiot so I usually don't know how to act. I don't want to offend you…" He looked away and felt a blush as the angel laughed. His voice sounded like hundreds of tiny bells.

"They act that way because I'm the highest among them, but I don't really enjoy it. It creates a distance hard to overcome. Please, act like you did before, I prefer we are casual around each other." He smiled at him and Rin had to grin back with relief. "Maybe we will even became friends? You are such a good soul…" Rin still found it strange the angel called him that but only smiled, nodding.

They were headed towards a high building, surrounded by a gold fence. It looked splendid, with vines wrapped around the front wall and large windows, golden frames at each. Rin had never seen so much gold in his life. As they got nearer he could see the letters at the gate – it read "Angel's Academy".

"We are here." Gabriel stated, opening the gate. Rin followed him into a front lawn, full of plants, trees and comfortable looking benches. Along the path there were lanterns, made into statues of an angel holding a candle. When they reached the big, oak doors he could see two 'A' engraved into the wood and angels fighting with swords. It was really detailed, showing their focused faces and tangled hair. Gabriel knocked with a knocker – obviously gold – and waited. The doors opened by it own accord, no one standing there. Gabriel went in first.

Inside, the blue carpet led towards the stairs in front of them. On both sides there were gigantic statues of angels, with their swords held out in the air, like in a gesture of triumph. They went up the stairs and towards a clean hallway. Big windows gave enough light to see everything. They passed many doors, turning a few times and going up again. Rin left lost after a few minutes. Finally, they went into a comfortable looking parlor. Green sofas and armchairs were occupied by three angels and one person who seemed to be human, no wings or gold on him. They all stood up and bowed – well, apart from the different one, who only spared them a bored glance.

"Gabriel-sama, welcome." One of them said, a young pretty girl with light brown hair and round, bright eyes. She was wearing a strange robe, long and elegant in a pale, lilac color, with a silver flower brooch under her chin. Her hair was falling nicely down her shoulders in a cascade of curls. She was beautiful but in a cold way, like one of the statues they saw in the city. There were a lot of flowers on her, one in her hair, one on her neck – a delicate, gold chain – and a few on her crafted robe.

Gabriel nodded at her with a tight smile and Rin thought he really disliked the girl.

"I see you managed to convince the kid." The strange man said, eyeing him openly up and down. He looked out of place here. Everything was bright in this city but the guy was wearing black. His leather coat seemed to surround him with darkness and a silver piercing in his brow didn't help to maintain a polite look either. He had heavy boots with shining staples and a bow was standing near his seat. His hair was black as well, straight and long, reaching his chest as he sat. Rin felt like drowning in his eyes – deep pools of swirling darkness – so green they looked like black. The man's posture was relaxed, like he didn't give a damn about anything. Relaxed and arrogant. He liked him instantly.

"Yes, this is Rin Okumura." Gabriel answered him and then gestured to each, introducing them.

"This is Lily." He gestured to the first girl, who bowed gracefully. Rin nodded back at her. Figured her name would be flowery just as she was.

"The man on your left is Katsu(1)." He stood up again, acknowledging Rin. He was a short angel, wearing some kind of warrior's uniform, with a sword at his belt. He had blond hair but cut very short, which was unusual here as Rin noticed already.

"The other lady's name is Akane(2)." Now, she was someone hard to miss. Her blood red dress was falling around her, giving a impression of rose petals. Her high heel boots were maroon, covering her whole calf. She had some small sack at her belt. Akane's hair was also ruby, tied in a high pony tail. She smiled, showing her white teeth and of course she was wearing a red lipstick. The only bright things were her wings, white and fluffy just like other angel's.

"And this is Shin(3)." The strange, black man only nodded slightly. "As you can see, he's not an angel. He was a human before and well… not everyone change into an angel after getting here…"

"What he means is that I was not good enough to become one of those but didn't deserve hell either." He explained when Gabriel didn't know how to say it without offending him. "Usually souls like mine hide in shame, not accepted by the rest of those damned saints but I'm proud of myself and refused to cover." He held his chin up and challenged anyone to try and say something against him. Rin respected him even more now.

They sat down on a soft armchairs and Gabriel started explaining everything.

"They are the ones who will train you. Lily will teach you general exercises of control and how to manage your new, sharpened senses. Katsu is a warrior so you will train with your sword with him. Akane's the one to teach you about your flames and other powers and how to possibly combine them. Shin is someone who will sure show you some cunning tricks and how to sneak around in Hell, as he is a hunter of demons… Well, kind of like you Exorcists in the human world. He is not an angel so he can enter Hell. I'm not sure if he will go with you though. I will be the one to check if you are ready at the end of your training. If you manage to defeat me, you will be able to go on your mission." Rin nodded, overwhelmed. He hoped he won't make a fool out of himself, he wanted to impress them and show that he is able to do it.

After a meeting and exchanging a few words with them all, he was showed his new room. It was small but comfy, with a big bed, a sofa in front of a large window, so he could watch a sunset and the gardens and a small wardrobe with clothes for different occasion. He had strange robes like the ones Lily wore – only in pale blue and not feminine – he noticed with relief. He also had a comfortable set, ideal for fighting and a dark coat with a lot of pockets – a little like Shin's. He tried it on immediately and admired himself in a mirror. In a coat like this, with his katana on his back he looked dangerous, his tail moving lazily back a forth and flames on his head burning happily. He grinned, showing his sharp teeth and couldn't help but laugh at his silly act. He dressed in a night grown and went to bed, tomorrow morning he had a first lesson with Lily. The girl gave him creeps. She seemed so cold. Rin knew that all of the angels were rather reserved with emotions but she probably didn't feel anything.

The morning in Heaven came with a bright sun and melodic singing of the birds. Rin groaned, still tired but got up reluctantly. He couldn't afford to be late, who knows what will the girl do to him. He shivered at the thought of her calm face and empty eyes. He showered quickly and figured she wanted him to wear the robe. He decided it wasn't that bad, actually it looked elegant on him. Like he was going on a date, ugh… He went out of his room and followed a path he remembered from yesterday. After checking a few rooms he managed to get to the parlor. Lily was waiting there already.

"Um… Good morning…" He said and stood there awkwardly. She looked up from a book she was reading and nodded.

" Good, you are on time. Come." She stood up and led the way through some doors he didn't notice before. After a short walk in a corridor they entered an elegant office. The sofa was ecru, with heather colored pillows. The oak desk had neat stacks of paperwork on it and two armchairs in front of it were white. Everything was color-coordinated and elegant. She gestured for him to sit down there and sat behind the desk herself. Her own armchair was the same lilac color her robes had. Over her head there was a big painting, showing lilies in full bloom, the frame golden. Rin noticed a lot of flower ornaments everywhere. The whole office was very luxurious and classy. He felt out of place here.

"Well, Rin-kun, please tell me all the differences you noticed about your senses first." She said, studying his face and listening patiently to everything he had to tell. She nodded and asked for details and Rin managed to describe everything he felt.

The lesson began, firstly how to control his sight. She led him through some breath exercises to help him relax and focus. Then she explained the process of turning the detailed vision on and off, like angels could. It felt a little like trying to focus with left eye on one object and on something different with the other. He managed after a few tries, it seemed to be natural to learn. It turned out his demon vision worked the same way. After exercising for about ten minutes or so he could change it at will, slowly but good enough for the moment. Lily said he will be able to control it without thought soon, if he kept practicing. It would become so natural like widening of pupils or breathing.

After that they took a small break as his eyes started to hurt from the strain. Lily brought tea in elegant, delicate cups. Rin was very careful not to break it. While he sipped a warm liquid, he glanced through a window, deep in thought. He suddenly missed home. He and Yukio would always drink tea together in the morning. And Bon liked it as well, when they kissed he always commented that Rin was a sugar to his tea. Such a silly statement but it always made Rin grin like an idiot. He sighed, he shouldn't be thinking about it now. He still had a long way to go, it was only a beginning.

"You miss your home, don't you?" Lily asked gently and Rin turned back to face her. This time her voice wasn't emotionless, she seemed to be a little sad for him.

"Um, yes…" He admitted. "But I will be alright, just some memories came back." He smiled and she smiled back, which shocked him even more. Maybe he thought too badly of her?

The lesson continued, with him learning how to meditate and relax. It was very important, she said, to be able to hear his own body, so he could control it better. Breathing exercises were helping a lot. He learned how to sharpen his hearing and how to sense if someone was approaching him. He could already recognize the scent of angels – he must have been already sensitive to them, probably because of his demon side. And blood, he knew he could sense it anywhere.

"Why did I find a scent of blood alluring?" He managed to voice a question that was bothering him for some time.

"I guess it's because you are also a demon. They are a creatures of darkness and enjoy pain and chaos. Blood is a symbol of agony for them, of life passing and they love spilling it. You need to be in control of yourself all the time, so you don't go on a rampage suddenly. The smell of blood would definitely wake up a demon within and make you attack. You might even feel a need to drink blood – some demons do, but not the human-like, so maybe you will be alright. It's hard to tell, as your nature got so mixed. There is also a fact that you are a demon like none other – possessing Satan's blue flames. Just stay calm no matter what and you will be alright."

Rin nodded but felt uneasy. He knew he had a temper. He will have to work on that.

After she taught him a few calming techniques, she opened a drawer and took some flask out. He looked curiously at the liquid inside. It was swirling and shining with a golden light.

"This is a sample of angel's power." She explained, showing the flask. The swirling was hypnotizing. "Every one of us posses it, some have more than others." Lily opened it and poured the substance on her palm. It had a strange consistency – not exactly water-like, maybe more like oil. It stayed on her hand, shining even more brightly. "This one is mine, so it reacts positively to me. Try touching it." She asked and Rin hesitantly extended his hand towards the mist-like liquid. When his fingers brushed the surface, he gasped in pain and moved his hand away. It burned. He looked at her with questioning eyes.

"Just like I thought. Demons are weak against our pure power. But I will teach you how to completely shut off your dark nature, so you will be able to use this."

It was far more complicated than he thought. He relaxed like she told him to, but couldn't understand what she meant by finding his demon soul. He closed his eyes and searched like she told him to, but couldn't get any feeling at all. He sighed in defeat but concentrated again.

It took him a whole hour to get it. He had to call through to his flames but not make them appear on his body. This way, he found a connection to his demon side. After that, it was easier. Lily told him to imagine he was snuffling out a candle. He knew what she meant this time, as it was a way he usually stopped his flames. Only now, he had to do it inside his head, as he wasn't truly using them right now. Finally, he managed to turn them off. He felt empty without a blue fire that always resided inside him. He opened his eyes.

"Very good. Your eyes only hold a golden light now, as they should." It seemed that the eyes were really a window to a soul, he thought. "Now, try touching it again." She asked, pouring the substance on her palm again. He reached slowly and brushed his fingers through it. This time, he felt a nice warmth. It was powerful, but felt harmless, without a purpose. He smiled, finally he managed to do something right!

"See, you can do it." She smiled as well. "Now, we need to find out how much of this you have. You will find out later how to use it. There is a lot of techniques you could learn but that's Akane's job."

Firstly, he had to call through to this power, just like with his own flames. She showed him how to get a sample like hers and after a little struggle he got a tiny ball of energy on his palm. She gathered it into a flask and studied it. After frowning in concentration for a minute or two, she took out some strange equipment from her desk. First was something like a scale, it gave a shiny number after pouring a substance on it. Then, she took a glass tube and gathered the liquid inside it. It started to vibrate in her hands and shine even more brightly. She hummed in pleasure at the result and took the last tool. Two disks joined together, made of gold of course. She separated them and placed his power sample between. After squeezing them together, the disks changed color. Now, they were pure white.

"What does it mean?" Rin asked, curious.

"Well, the scale gave me an amount of power you possibly have. It's really high, like an archangel's. You will be one strong soul, when you will know how to control it." She admitted with a nod. "The tube told me more of a nature of your power – it is purely made for fighting. Most of angels had a power of healing, only a chosen few could enter an army. The disks turned white, so your power is raw and pure. You shouldn't have a problem with controlling it and making it stable. Sometimes a power would not obey it's master. A lot of angels just avoid using it in fear of getting hurt themselves." Lily explained and Rin exhaled in relief. He would be fine.

Another matter were his blue flames. Reaching down to them was not a problem – it felt natural to him now, turning them off gave him more trouble. He wasn't expecting them to be so powerful, though. His whole body was suddenly aflame, burning with an intensity like never before. Lily shouted and closed her eyes tightly as she got nearly blinded by electric blue light. Rin couldn't control them, they weren't listening to him at all. He felt like he did before, when he first went crazy with power, fighting Amaimon. He got truly scared though when he started to feel pain.

"What's going on?" He asked panicked but the angel couldn't reply, covering her face with her wings.

He felt like his body was tearing itself from the inside. He shut his eyes and tried to focus, like Lily taught him. Struggling with blinding pain and a feeling of being burned he managed to at least notice what was happening.

His new powers, that he saw as a golden light inside him, were fighting furiously with his familiar blue flames. The powers were pushing and pulling, so he felt like being torn in half. Also his demonic side roared with anger and tried to punish him for accepting an angel side. It was a mess. Rin tried to make them obey, tried to take a hold of them and stop the burning but couldn't. He felt weaker and weaker. Darkness was slowly overwhelming the light, making it's glow dim. He knew this sensation, of losing himself completely, of becoming a beast. His last thought was a hope that Lily was stronger than him. Or that she run away before he could hurt her. Then he drowned in blue flames, screaming, being burned alive.

Author's note:

(1) Katsu means "victory" in Japanese.

(2) Akane means "deep red" in Japanese.

(3) Shin means "real, true" in Japanese.

Rin actually means "dignified, severe, cold", did you know?

It all comes from: behindthename(dot)com/names/usage/japanese